Tell me a story
by DemonKittyAngel
Summary: Robin is grateful to the Revolutionary Army for taking her in so when the Chief of Staff collapses and regains his memories, she's concerned but doesn't pry. Until he keeps staring at her and she decides to take matters into her own hands. Or: The story of how Sabo tries to build up the courage to ask Robin about his little brother and she does it for him.


_I own nothing. As usual._

* * *

Robin is in the library when she hears the Chief of Staff collapse. She's grateful to the Revolutionary Army, truly, but that doesn't erase years of caution. She has eyes and ears surreptitiously all over the base, excepting personal rooms. It's from an ear in the main meeting room where she's hoping to hear word of her nakama that a wail of despair demands her attention followed by a panicked flurry to get him to the infirmary.

A frown tugs at the corner of her lips although she remains impassive. Sabo was one of the first people she met and carried her to the infirmary himself. She hopes he'll recover and puts an ear in the infirmary to keep updated.

It takes three days for the Chief of Staff to wake up and the tearful reunion between him and his friends reminds Robin of her home on the Thousand Sunny. Koala asks if he's gotten his memories back and Robin takes the news in stride. She wasn't aware that Sabo had had amnesia but he reassures his friends that even though he remembers, right here is still where he wants to be. He requests a meeting with Dragon and Robin leaves him be. She's glad he's alright and she has no need to look into his personal matters. After all, she's already scanning every paper and sneaking through every file to find word of her lost captain and crew.

Robin had seen the report about the Surgeon of Death taking Luffy and prayed that Luffy's amazing ability to draw in powerful friends was enough to save him but it wasn't until she saw the newspaper with Luffy splashed across the front page that Robin truly felt herself breath again. If Trafalgar Law hadn't saved him, Robin would have hunted him down personally.

It takes her only a split second to recognize his message so she makes the request to Dragon and is easily accepted as a temporary member of the Revolutionary Army. She has access to their knowledge, keeps up with the dark side of world affairs, and trains alongside them.

She notices Sabo giving her strange glances in the days following his recovery but brushes it off. Curiosity towards the 'Demon Child' is nothing new to her. It takes two weeks before he starts half approaching her, clearly wanting to ask a question and Robin truly doesn't want a divide between herself and her coworkers. She has nothing to be ashamed of and with a home and family to go back to, Robin is ready to clear the air regardless of how his opinion of her may change.

Two months after her acceptance into the revolution, Robin corners Sabo in a training room that he's commandeered for himself. He's worked up a sweat, shirt off, allowing Robin to see the full extent of the burn marks down his side and across his arm. Finishing a kata with his pipe (a curious choice but not the strangest she's ever seen), he stands up, head down in a three quarters profile away from her. "To what do I owe the honor Nico Robin? You haven't made a habit of searching people out."

"Shouldn't I be asking you? After all, you're the one with questions."

He sighs, running his burned hand through his shaggy hair. Robin waits patiently. This is his conversation regardless of who started it; he needs to take the lead. Slowly moving to place his pipe against the wall, he looks at it, full of contemplation with a slow stroke down the side before sighing again and moving to take a seat on the floor in front of her. He crosses his legs and Robin joins him on the floor, gently tucking her legs to the side.

His eyes meet hers with resolve and Robin is glad that this tension will finally be over.

"You know that I recently regained my memories." It is a statement and Robin gently tilts her head in acknowledgement. That was unexpected but, she's sure he'll explain how that is tangential to his problem with her. "Well, I first need to explain how I lost them.

"When I was ten, I was desperate to get away from my family. They were nobles, the worst trash in the world. There was a trash heap outside of the city, a place called Grey Terminal where the poorest residents of Goa Kingdom lived and they had it burned down. A Tenryuubito was coming to visit and they wanted to clear out all the trash – people included. I ran to the gates, tried to make it all stop, but the guards simply carried me away from the danger and threw me aside."

His eyes focus sharply on her, losing the slight gloss of reminiscence. "That's how I met Dragon. He was there to save the people of Grey Terminal and luckily, most of them made it out. Worse though, guards were sent out to kill any survivors. I don't know how many were lost but I knew I couldn't stay there. I feared that if I stayed, I'd never be free. I feared that I'd forget empathy or kindness and lose myself to being one of them, so I set sail.

"Unfortunately, I had raised a pirate flag on a stolen fishing boat and set out at the same time that the Tenryuubito was arriving. It was such a small boat and I wasn't even that close but… he took offence, and fired a bazooka. I didn't know what had happened: just that my ship had rocked violently beneath me and now it was on fire. A second shot hit and I didn't know anything else until I woke up two weeks later with no memories outside of a desperate need to never return to my parents."

What a terrible story. Robin feels for him, truly. This is a fellow human being who had been stepped on and nearly eradicated by the world government. But, she doesn't understand how this pertains to her so she waits serenely, allowing him to gather his thoughts.

He runs his hand through his hair again and Robin can clearly see the extent of the scarring around his eye. He's truly lucky to retain his sight through the pulled, brownish pink lattice that takes up nearly a fifth of his face. He lets his hand fall back into his lap, meeting her eyes once more.

"What I need you to understand; is that that wasn't the first time I'd run away. I originally ran away to live in Grey Terminal when I was five. I didn't know what I was doing. On day three, I was tired, cold, hungry, and this jackass was trying to steal the moldy bread I'd found. I bit and kicked but was easily kicked away and then this wild kid with hate filled eyes and a pipe jumps in and breaks the guy's leg. He turns to me, tossing a second pipe at my feet and says, 'Are you stupid? If you want to live, you have to fight.' And that was how I met my best friend, Portgas D. Ace."

Oh. Suddenly, his missing memories are very relevant and Robin can fit all the pieces together. Luffy lived in the present, never asking about their pasts or speaking of his own and if he'd thought Sabo lost, it was no wonder Robin had never heard of him. Sabo wasn't looking to question her because he didn't trust or because he wanted to marvel at the 'Demon Child', he wanted to ask about Luffy.

He wasn't done speaking yet, his voice now laced with fond remembrance. "Ace was the one who introduced me to the idea of being a pirate. He talked about freedom and adventure and making a name for himself. He admitted who his father was to me when we were six – I'm probably one of the only people he ever voluntarily told – and I told him I didn't care. As far as Ace knew, I was an orphan and as much as I didn't want to be defined by my parents, I sure as hell wasn't going to define him by his.

"It was years later that we met Luffy. He was… god, he was like sunshine. Ace was my best friend, but I could never convince him that it didn't matter that he was the son of the Pirate King – that the people in town were being stupid when they said he deserved to be killed because of who his father was. But Luffy wasn't like that. Luffy just strolled into our lives and said that Ace was Ace and Ace was amazing."

He smiles at this point, placing his right arm behind him and leaning back, relaxed with a small smile gracing his lips. "Luffy made Ace smile in ways I didn't know possible. Yeah, he smiled with me, but there was something so carefree when he was with Luffy. He made Ace not hate himself; finally convinced him that his life was worth something and that he didn't deserve to die for who his father was."

Robin resists the urge to frown. Sabo was ten when he ran away the second time, five when he met Ace. To hear that a child that young thought he didn't deserve to live was heart breaking and enraged her.

"Luffy changed me, too. After living in High Town, with all the nobles and then landing in a trash heap, I didn't have the best outlook on humanity. Then Luffy came along and I became less cynical. I found brightness in him that made me feel like freedom wasn't just a possibility, it was inevitable. The three of us were going to sail the seas and compete to be the Pirate King. Those six months with Luffy were the happiest time of my life."

Six months. That's the amount of time Robin has known Luffy and the thought of that being all she had breaks her heart a little. But Luffy is alive and it's only twenty months, two weeks and four days until she sees him again. Seeing that he's lost in reminiscence, she decides it's time to assert herself.

"May I presume that you want to hear about Luffy?"

He looks back at her, apparently having forgotten her for a moment. Robin doesn't begrudge him; if she had recently regained ten years of memories, she imagined she'd get lost in them quite often herself.

He shifts in embarrassment and Robin gives a benevolent smile. How cute. "If you could. Please. It's been a long time since I've seen my little brother and what ends up in the news isn't exactly accurate or tells me what he's like."

"I see. I will answer any questions I am able to as long as you're willing to share tales of him as a child."

Sabo's smile is full of relief and the two fall into a friendly exchange of anecdotes about their favorite person.

"…I had actually heard about Luffy for a few months before I actually met him. Garp had dropped Luffy off with Dadan – the mountain bandit that was supposed to be raising them – but Luffy hated it there and kept chasing after Ace instead. Ace tried everything he could to lose the kid, straight up trying to kill him. I remember he'd show up at least once a week complaining about the brat still hadn't died…"

"…He carried me out of the collapsing tunnel, despite me yelling at him to leave me to die, I was his enemy, and all he had to say was, 'Then I don't have to listen to you.' Truly, he has a baffling logic and one I'm grateful for…"

"…and then he got eaten whole by the crocodile. Ace lost his shit! He beat the crap out of the crocodile. I told him not to hit the stomach since he could hurt Luffy and he panicked more because that's exactly where he had been aiming…"

"…Usopp tells the most interesting stories . Chopper and Luffy sit with him, stars in their eyes, enraptured by tales of faraway lands and fantastic acts of heroism. Sometimes, the three of them will even try to act out bits of the stories and Brook will turn it into a song…"

"…Garp was a monster! He just showed up and started throwing us into trees and boulders – it was terrible. We built a tree house after he left so that he couldn't find us next time he visited but subconsciously, I've always had a particular dislike of haki infused punches…"

"…We always have extra food on our plates because we know that Luffy will soon be reaching out to share everyone's meals. We fend him off but truly, everyone lets him take a little because it would just feel wrong not to share with him…"

"…his fist would always bounce off the ground and hit him in the face or something equally ridiculous. Ace would call him weak and a cry baby but the truth was he wanted Luffy to get stronger. As good as it was to have us protecting him, if Luffy was ever gonna be his own pirate he needed to get stronger. We never bought into the whole 'Pirate King' thing for a minute though. He was our baby brother, we took care of him and fought better than and no matter how old we got, we couldn't see that changing…"

"…He complains every time Nami and I get served first since his mind is always on food. He doesn't mind Sanji's habits or that we receive special treatment, he just wants to be included and attempt to fill his black hole of a stomach. I actually have a hypothesis that since he's rubber, he can't truly feel full as his body stretches to accommodate…"

They sit in companionable silence as the pre-dawn light spreads through the narrow windows, bathing the room a soothing grey-blue. They're both leaned against the wall, watching the room brighten bit by bit when Sabo decides to voice what's truly bothering him.

"…when I left, I sent them a letter. Mainly to Ace, asking him to look after our little brother. I told him that I was setting out to sea before them and would see them once they set out on their own. But I forgot." His stare turns despondent as he gazes out the window. "Do you think Luffy will ever forgive me? For not coming?

"I can only imagine what was going through his head. 'Why isn't Sabo here? Everyone knows that Ace is in trouble so Sabo will come soon! Where's my brother? Sabo, why didn't you save Ace?' " He chokes on a half sob, allowing tears to silently stream down his face. "I- I never got to see Ace again. And now… how can I face Luffy? How can I possibly make him understand that if I knew, I would have done everything in my power to save him? How could I ever face an accusing Luffy and not want to die?"

Robin lets him have his moment slowly counting down from thirty.

"I believe that Luffy would never think of you that way. Even when I betrayed them and turned myself in to the marines, Luffy refused to accept it and stormed the Gates of Justice with only seven people. He would never hold a grudge and firmly believes that the best place for his nakama is firmly by his side." Her voice softens as she offers her private thoughts on the matter. "There's a certain flavor to his kindness, in how he reaches out to people, that says he sees their loneliness and doesn't accept it. I feel that he was very lonely once and he knows, from the bottom of his heart, how much it hurts and refuses to accept it in his friends."

Sabo gives another half strangled sob, a stuttering bubble of laughter following it. " 'Being alone hurts worse than being hurt.' " He nods to himself, agreeing with some long forgotten wisdom. "It's something Luffy said to us after the Porchemy Incident – I'll tell you another time but, the important part is that Luffy got badly hurt protecting the secret of where our pirate stash was and when we rescued him, he said that being alone was worse than being hurt. He hasn't changed much, has he?"

"No, I don't imagine he has." Robin smiles in contentment. 'Being alone hurts worse than being hurt.' Such wise and unconventional wisdom, as expected of her captain.

Time passes and the two of them exchange more stories, growing into good friends. Robin is appalled by the Porchemy Incident when he finally tells her and makes it abundantly clear that he is never to even consider abandoning a comrade to such a fate again. She already knows he'd do anything for Luffy.

He's equally horrified at some of the injuries he's incurred during his time as a pirate and at some point, Robin starts reminding him of how dangerous being a pirate has been for Luffy just to watch him nearly jump out of his skin with worry and debate between running off to find him or staying away for his guilt and duties to the Revolutionary Army.

On several occasions, Dragon listens to their stories and Koala becomes frustrated at even the mention of Luffy after six months of Sabo's non-stop chatter. Robin doesn't mind. She won't tell any of her nakama these stories, not until after he goes to see Luffy himself, and she feels just the slightest bit superior knowing so many tales of his childhood that the others will never hear.

They all want to monopolize him in their own ways. Sanji makes him the biggest portions (out of necessity but also care) and brightens with pride every time Luffy declares him the best chef and how amazing his cooking is. Usopp and Chopper love to fish and tell silly stories particularly because nothing else matters to Luffy in those moments except them and their shared happiness. Franky is constantly adding new features not only to the Sunny but to himself, addicted to the sparkling, adoring look their captain gives him whenever he does something 'Super!'

Brook is more subtle, taking advantage of the quiet moments to draw Luffy in with music. She'd caught him standing over his sleeping form once, in a pose that would have seemed menacing to any other crew, clearly adoring that his soft melody had lulled their rambunctious captain to sleep. Nami is indirect but no less possessive. She's constantly breaking up fights and calling them idiots. It might seem harsh but Robin can see the small smile that graces her face whenever she walks away from listening to their captain pout about her not letting them have fun. Zoro is the most passive. He naps, completely dead to the world except for danger to their captain – there has never been a single occasion she's seen where Luffy fell into the water and Zoro wasn't the first one over to rescue him. (As long as he was on deck.)

Robin though has always been one for knowledge. She loves the quiet moments when he and the other children sit on the grass by her lounge chair teaching them and the awe in her captain's eyes as she tells him about anything and everything. She hoards the small moments he seeks her out in the library, like he seeks out all of them from time to time to make sure they know he's there, and lets her read aloud to him and offers a disordered account of his earlier adventures. (She'd gotten more accurate versions from the rest of the crew but liked his version best.) Now though, she has something the rest of them don't: his childhood. She won't lord this over the others – it's not a competition – but she'll always know, she has a part of them they don't.

When it comes time to leave, Robin reminds Sabo that no matter what, the most important thing for Luffy will be the fact that Sabo is there. He's unsure, trapped in his own guilt, but assures her that if his work ever takes him to the same place, he'll be sure to stop and see Luffy.

~Omake~

It's a few weeks after Dressrosa and the kids have settled down around the deck, relaxing with a smooth melody from Brook's violin.

"Luffy, would you like to hear a story?"

He looks at her and nods vigorously. He doesn't bother to stand, simply using one of Nami's beloved trees to draw himself closer, earning himself a small growl.

"There once was a magical blue fish. It had scales of every shade; navy, royal, teal, sky, aquamarine, periwinkle – all of them. Its color allowed it to blend into the water around it, day or night, and avoid capture. One day, the fish wasn't paying attention and got caught in a shirt that a young boy was washing in the river. Since this was a magical fish, he was now required to grant the boy a wish for catching him, accident of not…"

Robin watches her captain's face go from excited to puzzled to frowning to awed realization. Sabo was the one to tell her this story – a story he'd made up just for Luffy and now that he knew Sabo was out there and looking after him, Robin was free to retell Luffy's favorite childhood tales.

As she told the winding story of the magical blue fish, the boy and the disrespectful dog, she inwardly reveled in having her captain's full attention and knowing that no one else would put quite the same look of awe and nostalgia on his face.

* * *

 _Headcanon:_

 _Sabo had to actually go ask Robin about Luffy and tell her about them being brothers._

 _I always feel like this just gets brushed over with 'Robin heard they were brothers during her time with the revolutionaries' but that was never satisfactory for me. Robin is paranoid enough to keep an eye on affairs and see if anyone is talking about getting rid of her but among the Revolutionary Army, rebels from the government, she trusts them more than most groups. At the least, she won't be turned over to the Marines. She's also polite enough to figure out that regaining memories is a deeply personal affair and she has no business asking about it so she focuses on other things. Until Sabo makes it about her captain._

 _The whole 'everyone on the crew loves to monopolize Luffy from time-to-time' is another headcanon and one I'll never let go. I imagine that even outside of their normal routines, Luffy takes a moment here and there to spend time with each of his nakama. Like sometimes he'll be in the kitchen just to see Sanji (even though he steals food anyway) and sometimes he'll ask Nami about the weather even though he doesn't understand any of it. If he's gonna nap, he'll do it with Zoro and sometimes he'll ask Brook for a certain song or an old story about his days with the Rumbar Pirates. Little things here, there and everywhere, just to show that he loves his crew. ^^_

 _Favorite if this all made sense to you! XD Or review to let me know if/and/or how you disagree._

 _Please review. I love those._


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